Id Rather Eat Than Act or Victoria and Lucindas Flavour of the Month

I'd Rather Eat Than Act

Author: Diana Millay

Diana Millay has played colorful characters on dozens of classic TV shows and several films.In Tarzan and the Great River, she swung through the jungles of Brazil with the lord of the apes.On Dark Shadows she haunted Collinwood as a mysterious creature called a Phoenix.Other credits include Broadway shows and TV series like Father Knows Best, 77 Sunset Strip, My Three Sons, and many others.Along the way, she's collected recipes from co-stars--the best of which are included here.

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Victoria and Lucinda's Flavour of the Month: A Year of Food and Flowers

Author: Victoria Cator

"Victoria and Lucinda's practical yet innovative approach is bound to be a winner, whether you are new to cooking or you entertain every week of the year. We know we won't be entertaining without it."-Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine, authors of What Not To Wear

Divided into monthly segments with menus for lunch and dinner, seasonal table settings, and flower arranging ideas, and featuring Mark Cator's professional photography, this book opens a new world for people who want to entertain beautifully without becoming stressed and worn out. This is Martha Stewart but with a decidedly modern take; in essence, it is entertaining made easy. The recipes are interlaced with snippets about the authors' lives, family, and friends; the origins of many of the recipes from their wide international circle; and with beautiful table settings inspired by the pastels of Edward Lear and others. Also included are tips on how to time and how to organize yourself in the run up to an important celebration in your home.

Victoria Cator studied at Christie's, and Lucinda Bruce was educated in Paris and returned to London to work in the contemporary art world. Both are skilled cooks and interior designers. For many years, both have wanted to write a cookbook that includes the recipes and design knowledge collected by their family and friends.

Publishers Weekly

It should have worked: two longtime friends and experienced entertainers sharing their ideas, arranged with a menu and table setting for each month of the year. Unfortunately, Londoners Cator and Bruce have a sense of taste that's entirely lost in translation. Hamstrung by an amateurish layout, the book looks and feels dated, and few dishes can redeem it. Though they do include serviceable recipes for lasagna, Penne Alla Vodka, chocolate cake and a lamb and chicken-based meatloaf, the duo pay far more attention to their table settings, which are prettier than any of the dishes. The few culinary bright spots are overwhelmed by nightmare platters like the ash-grey Poached Chicken Breasts with Morel Sauce; Sloshed Grapes, a stomach-churning mixture of green grapes, brown sugar, vodka and yogurt; and Passion Fruit Jellies with Popping Chocolate Sauce, which not only calls for raw egg yolks in a basic chocolate ganache but, for reasons unknown, is sadistically spiked with '3 packets of popping candy' (Pop Rocks?) and poured over a citrus jelly. Ex-Brits who want to be reminded why they left the U.K. might pick this up; anyone else will want to give it a miss.
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